Following a successful inaugural sale last year, the Mamo family hosted its first on-property sale at its Benger-based Balamara stud last week, proving successful with a 79 per cent clearance rate.
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The Balamara stud offered an exceptionally even, top-quality catalogue of well-bred Angus and Limousin sires that boasted the stud's breeding objective 'Optimise client production systems by securing genetics that will improve production performance in real working conditions'.
Prospective buyers and onlookers, both new and returning, supported the family's sale and bid up on their catalogue favourites, as well as online support from AuctionsPlus which attracted 953 catalogue views and 15 logins.
Good buyer support and an impressive line-up of bulls resulted in 11 of the 14 sires offered, selling to an average of $5182 and a high of $8500.
In the breed breakdown, all five of the Angus bulls cleared under the hammer to an average of $5100 and achieved the sale's high of $8500, while six of the nine Limousin bulls reached a high of $7500 and an average of $5250.
Elders auctioneer Nathan King said it was a pleasing result for the Mamo family and the Balamara stud.
"For the breed and type, the bulls were of very good quality and presented very well," Mr King said.
"The bulls were good value for money and very good buying at the value they achieved.
"It is a credit to the Mamo family and the Balamara team for the effort they put into their breeding and their commitment to the stud."
It was an 874kg Angus bull from lot two that achieved the sale's $8500 top price honours, snapped up by Caris Park Grazing, Pinjarra.
The March 2022-drop sire, Balamara Fair-N-Square T3 is a son of Myers Fair N Square M39 and out of Balamara Pocahontas P19.
It has Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) of -1.2 calving ease direct (CED), +0.6 calving ease maternal (CEM), -6.0 gestation length (GL), +6.0 birthweight (BWT) +59, +106 and +136 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +111 mature cow weight (MCW), +16 for milk, +0.9 scrotal size (SS), -4.0 days to calving (DC), +83 carcase weight (CWT), +3.9 eye muscle area (EMA), +1.8 and +3.1 rib and rump fats, -0.3 retail beef yield (RBY), +0.3 intramuscular fat (IMF), -0.47 net feed intake (NFI-F) and +18 for docility (DOC).
With these figures it ranks in the top 10pc for rump fat and NFI-F, top 20pc for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, CWT and rib fat and top 30pc for GL.
Caris Park Grazing rounded out its purchases with $5000 sire, Balamara Fair N Square T2, which is also a Myers Fair-N-Square son out of Balamara Helen Q1.
Fair N Square T2 ranks in the top 10pc for GL, 200 and 400-day weights, DC and NFI-F, top 20pc for 600-day weight, milk, CWT and rump and top 30pc for MCW, rib fat and DOC.
Owen McLarty, Caris Park Grazing, said it was his first time buying from the stud.
"The $8500 bull will be put over a herd of Hereford cows and the other bull will go over some Angus heifers," Mr McLarty said.
"Basically we do a mated heifer program, so we were looking to stick with black bulls in case there is a breakdown.
"The lot two bull was a bit bigger, so he will be good for the cows, and he is a magnificent black bull and a very good buy.
"The other bull was more of a heifer bull, he had good low birthweight figures and early gestation."
The $7500 second top price was paid by the Kelly family, S & D Kelly, Harvey, for a homozygous polled Limousin bull from lot five, Balamara Big Star T2.
Big Star T2 weighed 786kg and is a Cottage Lake Big Star son, out of Maryvale Hot Butter H201, with EBVs of -2.0 CED, -2.4 CEM, -1.1 GL, +2.1 BWT +21, +51 and +76 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +72 MCW, +13 for milk, +1.8 SS, +46 CWT, +2.2 EMA, -0.6 and -0.5 rib and rump fats, +1.3 RBY, +0.2 IMF and +60 DOC.
With these figures it ranks in the top 10pc for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, MCW, milk, SS, CWT and RBY and top 20pc for IMF and DOC.
Darren Kelly said it was the family's first time buying from the stud.
"We were looking for a terminal sire to produce some chunkier calves from our predominantly Angus herd," Mr Kelly said.
"We aim to use the bull over a few select mature cows to produce heavier calves.
"We don't aim to target a particular market but it gives us the option to do so."
Paying the third top price sum of $7000 for a 810kg Limousin bull was HY Armstrong, Burekup.
The homozygous polled bull is a sired by Cottage Lake Big Star and out of Maryvale Hot Butter H201 and ranks in the top 10pc for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, MCW, milk, SS and CWT, top 20pc for IMF and DOC and top 30pc for RBY.
Alcoa Farmlands, Waroona, purchased two Angus bulls at $4000, ably assisted by Elders auctioneer and Donnybrook representative Pearce Watling.
The Waroona account secured lot one bull, the 824kg Myers Fair-N-Square M39 son, Balamara Fair N Square T12 and 702kg Trafalgar Discovery Q12 son, Balamara Discovery T20 from lot 11.
Balamara stud principal Michael Mamo said on behalf of the Balamara team they were really happy with the sale's result and clearance.
"A big thanks to the Elders team for conducting the sale and a big thanks to Elders Collie/Brunswick agent Craig Martin," Mr Mamo said.
"We'd also like to thank all the clients who came to support us at the sale, it is much appreciated."
